Irresistible Laughter

13102010

God made it a little easier for us to have fun by creating laughter to sound so goofy and irresistible.

There is something powerful about laughter; especially a child’s. Maybe because it’s honest and pure. I still have a message from my little granddaughter that has been saved on my answering machine for months, because every time I listen to her spontaneous giggle something positive takes place in me. I feel stronger. Fresher. Brighter. Resilient. More resistant to doubt and despair.

Humor is essential in maintaining any human relationship. Humor can diffuse the most volatile situation, and stabilize the most precarious circumstance.

Negativity that is thinly disguised as snide humor or bitter sarcasm is not humor. Humor lightens the load. Mends the rift. Makes things better. Lets us know we will be okay. Reminds us that we will survive.

It is common to get our priorities disarranged at times of discomfort or misfortune: A child’s misbehavior is devastating. A flat tire is the end of the world. An argument is the apocalypse. Our perceived catastrophes may be much less severe if we look at the situation as it relates to the big picture. Making fun of a situation we find ourselves in has a way of loosening the grip of panic. A funny remark that suddenly ruptures the intensity of an overwhelming incident is phenomenal. People who can infiltrate a bad frame of mind and force a real smile out of us are invaluable. Joy is irresistible. Joy activates hope. Hope heals.

Chronic irritability and complaining will not only steal the joy from life, but will deaden relationships as well. So relax a little. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up about that negative turn of events. Check to see if you can at least just shake your head and smile to yourself. And you may even become that friend who brings comic relief to others during difficult times.